The 2026 Social Security increase is one of the most anticipated events of the year for millions of retirees in the U.S. Every year, The Social Security Administration (SSA) announces an increase on the monthly payments called COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment). This increase is done to achieve something specific: help retirees to keep their purchasing power having in mind the increase of the prices. Basically, COLA aims to maintain the value of the payments when the COLA increases. So, let’s talk a bit more about this.
What’s COLA?
The 2026 COLA is the percentage that will be applied to retirees’ payments next year. Each person will receive an increment based on that percentage, which means that the adjustment is not the same amount of money for everybody because it’s calculated according to what each beneficiary already receives.
For example, if someone earns $1,000 per month and the COLA is 2.7%, the payment will increase $27 whereas if another person receives $2,000, the increase will be $54. Even though the percentage is the same, the result in dollars varies depending on the current amount of the beneficiary.
When the 2026 COLA will be announced
Traditionally, the announcement of the Social Security COLA is done in the middle of the month of October and, this year the date is supposed to be on October 15, 2025. This is when the SSA should officially communicate the increasing percentage that will be applied in 2026.
However, the announcement could be delayed because of an important issue: the federal government shutdown. This has stopped the job of several agencies of the government like the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
This office is in charge of publishing economic data used to calculate the COLA. If the shutdown continues, the SSA couldn’t receive that information on time and the official announcement will have to wait until the government goes back to normality. For now, there is no new date confirmed.
What’s the projected COLA increase for 2026?
Even though the official announcement hasn’t been made yet, the most consistent projections indicate the 2026 COLA will be about 2.7%. This calculus is based on the recent tendencies of inflation and the most recent economic information available before the federal government shutdown.
This increase, although it’s lower than previous years with high inflation, represents a positive adjustment that will allow retirees to maintain a certain balance toward the higher prices.
Some states receive a higher increase
It’s important to understand that the 2026 COLA percentage will be the same for every beneficiary of the country. However, the increase of dollars won’t be because it depends on the amount of money each person already earns from Social Security.
Retirees who already receive larger benefits will get a bigger increase in dollars, even though the percentage is the same. And since Social Security payments are calculated based on lifetime earnings, retirees who lived and worked in states with higher average incomes tend to have higher monthly benefits.
That’s why, in some states, it seems more “convenient” to live — because retirees there receive higher Social Security checks, and when the COLA is applied, the increase in money is also larger.
10 states with the highest Social Security benefits
Here are the 10 states where retirees receive the largest Social Security payments, and therefore will see the biggest dollar increases once the COLA 2026 is applied:
| State | Average Monthly Benefit |
| Connecticut | $2,159 |
| New Jersey | $2,172 |
| Delaware | $2,139 |
| Maryland | $2,084 |
| Indiana | $2,016 |
| New Hampshire | $2,121 |
| Michigan | $2,067 |
| Massachusetts | $2,021 |
| Washington | $2,061 |
| Minnesota | $2,053 |
So, as you can see, the 2026 COLA is still an essential tool to protect millions of retirees toward the increase of prices, making sure their income keeps pace with inflation and continues to provide financial stability year after year.